German Heart Center Berlin
Berlin, Germany 
Head of the Department
Prof. Dr. Volkmar Falk
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at German Heart Center Berlin offers surgical care for patients with acute and chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system. FOCUS Magazine has recognized the department as one of the best medical facilities for the surgical treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Germany. The department is fully equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostics and therapeutics. The innovative technology, alongside the remarkable medical team of highly experienced surgeons, ensure patients get optimal care for their condition. The main focuses of the department are coronary artery bypass surgery, aortic surgery and surgical treatment of heart defects as well as arrhythmia. The department also offers heart and lung transplantation and it’s a pioneering facility in Germany in this field.
Under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Med. Volkmar Falk, the department treats over 4,100 inpatients every year. Dr. Falk was chosen by FOCUS Magazine to be ranked as one of the top cardiac surgeons in Germany. The department has an extraordinary history and reputation in the field of artificial heart implantation as over 2,500 implantations have been performed by the department in the last 20 years.
The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at German Heart Center Berlin is specialized in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of:
• Heart failure
• Coronary heart disease
• Acute myocardial infarction
• Aortic valve stenosis
• Aortic valve insufficiency
• Mitral valve stenosis
• Aortic aneurysms
• Aortic dissection
• Cardiac arrhythmia
- From 1986 to 1992, Dr. Falk studied medicine at the University of Bonn
- In 1993 he received his doctoral degree and began surgical training at the University of Göttingen and underwent specialized training in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Center Leipzig.
- In 1998, Dr. Falk had board certification in Cardiac Surgery.
- Since 1998, he has been a Senior Physician in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Center Leipzig.
- 1999 - 2000 he had a one-year Research Fellowship at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California
- In 2001, Dr. Falk had his habilitation at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Leipzig. For his habilitation work, the professor received the Ulrich Karsten Prize of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
- In 2002, he completed advanced training courses in the field of Special Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care.
- In 2003, he was appointed as a Senior Physician in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Heart Center Leipzig.
- In 2007, Falk was appointed (W2) Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Leipzig.
- On January 1, 2009, Prof. Volkmar Falk took the position of the Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the University Hospital Zurich and Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Zurich.
- Since October 2014, the doctor has been an Ordinary Professor of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University Hospital Charité, as well as the Medical Director and Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the German Heart Center Berlin.
- Since October 2015, Prof. Falk has also been the Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University Hospital Charité (Campus Mitte).
- Prof. Falk specializes in minimally invasive and catheter heart valve surgery.
- In December 2018, Dr. Falk was appointed the Professor of Translational Cardiovascular Technology at the Swiss Higher Technical School.
- Prof. Falk is the author or co-author of more than 500 scientific publications.
- He was a co-founder of the Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery Innovation at the University of Leipzig, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
- While working in Zurich, he established cooperation with many specialists and founded the Zurich Heart Project (an interdisciplinary research project aimed at improving the existing and studying new methods of blood circulation support).
- Even after moving to Berlin, Dr. Falk is leading a project, in which about 20 research groups are now participating.
- Prof. Falk is a member of both the German and European Societies of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the European Society of Cardiology.
- In all these societies, he is a member of committees and groups of authors for the development of new guidelines for the diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
- In addition, the doctor is a member of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (ISMICS), the German Society for the Study of Cardiovascular Diseases, the American Society of Thoracic Surgery and many other associations and societies.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
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